SWEET BRIAR, Va. (AP) _ Virginia’s attorney general has announced a mediated settlement to keep open Sweet Briar College, a tiny women’s college whose planned closure had stirred passionate opposition. Attorney General Mark Herring announced the memorandum of understanding to keep the school open late Saturday. He said the resolution came after hundreds of hours of negotiations involving the college, the local county attorney fighting its closure and a nonprofit intent on saving the school. Herring said the agreement would be presented to a judge on Monday for his approval and final settlement. Key elements of the agreement include the commitment of $12 million in donations from Saving Sweet Briar and a change of leadership at the school. School leaders announced in March that the 114-year-old school would close in August because of insurmountable financial challenges.
